Aerial Photography and Drone Video for Archaeological Recording

In the autumn of 2017, we were tasked with assisting in the recording of the discovery of a Roman Cemetery in the outskirts of Coventry, using aerial photography and drone video. Preliminary excavations for a new business park had unearthed 2500-year-old Roman burial urns and a chest as well as possibly the site of burning.

Archaeology Warwickshire required aerial views of the site in photography and video formats on the ground and in the air to record the site for the future press release at a later date when the site work had been completed. Over the years we have worked with Archaeology Warwickshire on a number of sites building up a relationship where we can be relied upon to keep their discoveries confidential until they have made official press releases.

This site is actually right next to the old compound for the works area when the A45 Tollbar Junction has upgraded a few years ago by Galliford Try we did the aerial progress photographs for that project over three years.

The real surprise here was that these urns were found just a few feet under the surface which amazing that they have survived intact considering the Coventry Blitz in World War 2 and all of the construction work that has gone on in the area, this site is right next to the airport that was heavily bombed in the war.

The proximity to the airport was interesting because from our previous work on the toll bar project we already had the phone number for air traffic control to allow us to gain permission to fly so close to the airport in controlled airspace. We have been flying drones commercially for seven years now, identifying safety concerns such as these are second nature to us, for each and every job we will research the site in advance through a method statement and only commit to flying on the day once all safety concerns have been answered.